My best 250 recipes

Put half a pound of grated, unsweetened chocolate, four ounces of butter, one pound of brown sugar, half a cupful of molasses, half a cupful of cream and a teaspoonful of vanilla sugar into a granite saucepan ; stir the whole over a slow fire until thoroughly mixed, and then boil slowly until the mixture hardens when dropped into ice-water. Turn into greased, shallow pans and stand aside to cool. When nearly cold dip a sharp knife in olive oil, mark the caramels in squares; when cold break apart and wrap in waxed paper. PANOCHA Have ready shelled a quantity of pecan nuts. Put one pound of dark brown sugar and half a cupful of cream into a saucepan; stir over the fire until it melts and boils, and forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Take from the fire, add half a pint of pecans, stir until the sugar is granulated, and then drop it in little cakes on oiled paper. MEXICAN SUGAR CANDY Shell sufficient pecans to make half a pint of meats. Put a cupful of granulated sugar into an My Best 250 Recipes 149 iron saucepan, stir until it melts but do not let it burn. Take from the fire and when slightly cooled add a cupful of milk, another cupful of sugar and stir the whole until, when dropped into cold water, the syrup forms a soft ball. Take from the fire, add the nuts, stir until it granulates, and turn into a shallow, greased pan. Quickly flatten it out, and when cold break into squares. CHOCOLATE CREAMS Put one pound of fondant on the working board; add a teaspoonful of vanilla sugar, half a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and work the mass until well mixed ; form into tiny balls the size of a marble and put them on oiled paper to harden. Make the covering by putting a quarter of a pound of grated chocolate into a small saucepan, stand this in a pan of boiling water, add half a pound of fondant, a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and sufficient boiling water to make it the consistency of very thick cream. Put the water in a teaspoonful at a time, keeping the mixture hot and stirring all the while. Drop in the hardened balls with the left hand, dip them out with the candy-dipper in the right hand and put on oiled paper to harden. A little practice will enable you to shape and drop these chocolate creams neatly and easily. 150 My Best 250 Recipes FINE ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING Stone a pound of raisins ; mix with them one pound of currants, half a pound of minced, candied orange peel, three-quarters of a pound of breadcrumbs, one pound of suet that has been shredded and chopped fine, a quarter of a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, half a nutmeg grated and the grated rind of one lemon. Beat five eggs without separating the whites from the yolks, and add half a pint of good grape juice ; mix this with the dry ingredients, working the whole thoroughly until the mixture is moist but not wet. Pack in greased moulds, or small tin kettles ; cover, and steam or boil continuously for ten hours. Take the puddings from the water, remove the lids and cool in the moulds. Next morning replace the lids and put the puddings aside for two, three or four weeks, until needed. The longer they stand the better. But do not overlook the important point that they should be kept in a cool place. CHRISTMAS FRUIT PUDDING Put a quart of milk into a double boiler ; beat the yolks of four eggs with one cupful of sugar until very light; add a little hot milk, return the mixture to the boiler and cook until you have a thick, soft custard. Take from the fire and add My Best 250 Recipes 151